“Dylan! Come join us.”

Dylan glanced over to the table in the hotel bar, where he spotted Roxie and a handful of her band and crew. He’d been sitting here for the past half hour nursing the same drink as he mulled over the train wreck he’d made of his life and Tessa’s over the past week.

He shook his head, holding up his drink as if to say cheers before returning to his thoughts. He wasn’t in any mood for company. He hadn’t been ever since he left Tessa’s place Wednesday morning and arrived here in LA, especially not the company of one Roxie Mann, who, in exchange for Dylan’s agreeing to perform in Saturday night’s concert, had deleted her previous Instagram post and posted a new one that—if not an outright apology—got her fans talking about something other than him and Tessa.

It didn’t mean that it was water under the bridge for Dylan. But he was here in LA, practicing for his performance and hiding out from the censure he was sure to receive from his aunt and the entire Montenegro clan the moment he returned to Blossom Falls. Deservedly. He’d promised them he would keep Tessa safe. And he’d failed.

It was also why he hadn’t returned Jasper’s emails about finalizing the sale of the Wallace home, since now that he and Tessa were through, he wasn’t sure if moving next door to her family home was a good idea for either of them.

“Here. Compliments of your friends,” the bartender said and set a shot of tequila in front of him.

Unwanted company or not didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy a free drink. He tossed it back.

“Care for some company?”

Roxie Mann’s deep, sultry voice was unmistakable, and Dylan didn’t bother to glance over to her as she slid into the barstool next to him.

“Not really, Rox. Kind of could use some time to myself,” he said, careful to keep his tone neutral so she wouldn’t hear his anger and frustration over the pain she’d caused Tessa in the previous days.

“Drinking alone? You once told me that was the clearest sign of a man who shouldn’t be left alone.

That sounded like something he might have said. Before he knew the sanctuary that self-imposed exile could provide someone.

She tried again. “You know, maybe talking about it will help you figure out whatever’s bothering you.”

He glanced over to see that there was real concern in her light blue eyes. “Talking isn’t going to help.”

“Okay. Then let me just sit with you for a spell. We don’t have to talk.”

It was a free country. He couldn’t really stop her from sitting anywhere, wanted or not. “Do what you want.”

“Does this have something to do what that girl you were flaunting the other day?”

Flaunting? He wouldn’t even bother to argue that ludicrous statement. But the rest… “That ‘girl’ is a bright, kindhearted attorney who is currently suspended from her job thanks to the unnecessary attention you rained down on her with that post.”

“I’m going to take that as a yes.” She studied him. “You’re not kidding, are you? You’re really upset about that. You know me. I don’t mean anything by my posts. It’s just feeding the social media mob, keeping them appeased. You’ve never cared about what I said about you before.”

“That was because I knew it came with the territory. But Tessa? She has nothing to do with that world, and she had nothing to do with what happened between you and me, and you knew that.”

“Your girlfriend has got to get a tougher skin if she’s going to be a part of your world. You of all people should know that.”

“Tessa is tougher than anyone I know. That’s not the point. You posted that to be vindictive. To punish me for not playing your games.”

“I posted that because it was good publicity.” She stopped herself from whatever she was going to say next and took a drink. “Look. We can argue this point all night. But that’s not what I came over here to do. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay and to thank you for coming out to do the show.”

“You didn’t give me much choice.”

“You really think I’m that awful, huh? I’m sorry that I hurt your girlfriend, and maybe you have a small point in that I posted that as a gut reaction to seeing you two in that photo, clearly so happy together. I mean, we only just broke up.”

“Four months ago because you were cheating on me. What did you expect?”

“I may have slept with someone else, but you and I both know that you left the relationship long before that. Don’t play the martyr. You never were as invested in our relationship as you were your career. I was merely someone you were spending time with. Your head—your heart—was always somewhere else.”

It took him by surprise that she felt that way. “That’s not true. We had a good thing for a while.”

“Oh, sure. We had fun. But in the two years we were together, I was never able to reach you—reach the real you, you know what I mean? You never let me in. Hell, I didn’t even know you grew up in that tiny town of Flower Falls until the photo of you went viral.”

“Blossom Falls.”

“Wherever. And what about me? Do you know anything about me? What’s my brother’s name?”

He drew a blank. “Mark?”

She appeared bemused. “I don’t have a brother. And you might have known that if you ever really got to know me. I only wish I would have realized that you were still in love with your old girlfriend so I wouldn’t have spent so much time wondering what was wrong with me.”

There were so many things she’d said in the statement he didn’t know where to start except to clarify one thing. “Tessa and I never dated. She was my best friend’s little sister. That’s all.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

“Roxie,” someone called from their table. “Grab us another round.”

He waited a moment as she delivered the order to the bartender, who had, by the way he quickly materialized in front of them, been waiting for the opportunity to serve her again. She had that effect on people. Just not him, not anymore.

“Rox,” he said when they were alone again. “For the record? Nothing was ever wrong with you. You were everything that I should have wanted. Beautiful, talented, charming, maybe a tad dramatic at times.” She feigned an outraged expression before nodding in agreement. “But the reason we didn’t work was never you.”

“Great. The whole it’s not you it’s me spiel.” Only she was smiling as she said it. “It’s okay. I’ve seen the writing on the wall and I’m moving on. I only wish we’d talked more honestly before now.”

“Me, too,” he said in all sincerity. Because she had a point. He hadn’t ever fully been committed to her, and he could see that now, which wasn’t fair to her.

“Well, whatever reason you’re here drinking alone, I hope you can figure your way out of it, because I saw something in the way you looked at her that I never saw when you looked at me, something I would have given anything for.”

He raised a brow in disbelief. “Anything?”

She smiled. “Okay, maybe not anything. But then again, had you looked at me like that, maybe I would have. She’s a lucky girl.”

The bartender returned with her order, asking if she needed any assistance carrying it out.

“I’ve got it, thanks.” She looked back at Dylan. “For whatever reason you’re here, I won’t deny that I’m looking forward to having you part of Saturday’s show. But I also won’t hold it against you if you decide you’ve got somewhere else to be.”

“Not anymore. I’ll see you then.”

She stood, smoothing out her leather pants over her svelte frame for a moment before grabbing the drink. “If you change your mind and want some company, come and join us. Drinking alone isn’t good for anyone.”

“Thanks, Roxie. Good night.”

With a last smile and flip of her blond hair, she returned to her party, leaving him alone to consider her words. He looked around the place, noticing the guy at the end heavy into his third, maybe fourth drink. Roxie was right. He wasn’t going to find any solutions to his problems at the bar.

He needed to write. Needed to put his fingers on his guitar strings, his words to the page, and get whatever was bothering him out in the only way he knew how until he no longer felt this deep anguish of knowing he’d walked out on the best thing in his life. Again.

Tessa stood outside the conference room, where the partners had asked her to wait as they finished up their meeting early Friday morning. It had already been nine minutes since she’d arrived, and the dread that had been building was reaching a level that was going to send her climbing the walls soon.

Her hand went to her pocket, where her phone was sitting in the silent mode.

She fought the urge to look at it again. To stare at the photo of Dylan and Roxie in a hotel bar that was circulating on all the morning talk shows, that had trended on Twitter for almost two full hours, and that had torn to shreds the final pieces of her heart. Because as much as it hurt, it was exactly what she needed to reinforce the fact that things were definitely over with Dylan. He’d broken her heart for the last time.

The door opened and one of the partners beckoned her inside.

Taking a shaky breath, she walked in and took a seat again at the table as directed.

As directed.

Just like she’d been doing since she first stepped foot in this firm. She’d been obedient, hardworking, diligent…pretty much a lackey. Something she could take to a point. She’d started as a lowly first year here right after law school. One of many cogs in the wheel. But over time, she should have earned some respect. Someone should have realized that she took her job seriously and would never do anything to jeopardize it or the firm’s reputation.

And yet here she was.

Ted started talking, thanking her for her patience over the past couple days as the investigation proceeded. But she barely heard him, caught up in her own thoughts.

What had she been doing it all for? Why had she allowed herself to become a doormat? Was it because it brought her happiness? Self-respect? Job satisfaction? Sure, she felt a sense of satisfaction when they neared the end of a project, but the moment it was done, another one was waiting. More contracts to be negotiated, more leases to research, documents to sign.

She hated her job.

There it was. Plain and simple.

But she’d been happy to bury herself in her work, bury herself in monotonous things so she didn’t have to think about how sad and empty her life had become. Aside from her friends, she had nothing to look forward to in her days. She’d dated, but more to kill the time than to look for anything really meaningful. Killing the time in the hopes of burying her feelings for that one guy who would always be a dream. She could see that now.

But it was over. Finito.

And she didn’t know if she wanted to just kill time anymore. She wanted to do something more meaningful. Help people, actual people with their everyday problems. Things that she could do as an associate at a family law practice. It didn’t have to be Blossom Falls. It could be here in the city or anywhere, really.

She realized that everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to respond to whatever question had been put to her.

The nerves she felt were gone. Her heart was still cold and sad and would be for a long time, but she at least finally realized where and what she wanted to do.

And she couldn’t wait to tell them exactly that.

She smiled.

Tessa grabbed the scouring brush Saturday afternoon and got to work on the farmhouse’s kitchen sink that, in the few short days since she’d left, had managed to build up a nice grayish pallor from grease and dirt. It also served as a great distraction from the shambles what was currently her life. By the end of the weekend, everyone would need sunglasses from the shine she’d have on every surface.

But she had her entire future to work out, particularly what she was going to do now that she was unemployed. For a brief moment, when she’d seen the Blossom Falls sign as she drove into town, she’d felt a sense of belonging, of yearning that this was where she was meant to be, a sentiment that lasted until the moment she passed the turnoff that would take her to the Wallace place—or rather, Dylan’s place. Because how could she face every day knowing there was a possibility of seeing him?

No, she couldn’t open herself to that kind of pain. But there were other towns. Santa Rosa had some good prospects. But for now, she had some time.

The only drawback in her decision to leave her job and the city behind her was the thought of leaving her two friends and their cozy little home. They’d been understanding but disappointed, even though they all knew that their situation was bound to end soon, what with Quinn getting married in the spring and Anna probably getting engaged herself.

It was time.

“Honey, you don’t have to do that,” her dad said when he caught sight of her as he walked into the kitchen.

“I don’t mind. It’s relaxing,” she said as she scoured a particularly troublesome spot that, come to think of it, had been there for at least ten years. Not for long.

“Is this about you quitting your job? Because you know that you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need until you find something else.”

She blew a strand of hair from her face. “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot. But no, I’m okay with that decision. And I have some savings, not a lot, but enough to tide me over for a little while.”

“I see.” He took a seat on a barstool. “You know, honey, I may not have a lot of experience in the dating world, but I can tell that something seems to be going on with you and Dylan. Care to tell me about it?”

She scrubbed harder at the smudge. It…wasn’t…coming…out. “Not really much to say, Dad. Dylan did what he does best and ran the moment things got complicated.”

“What happened?” he asked.

She bit her lip, debating whether to embroil her dad in her personal life like this. But he had perspective that her friends didn’t have in knowing both her and Dylan, and it was that perspective she needed now. Even if to make her feel better about things.

So she told him. Told him about the pictures on Instagram, the public reaction, the events the other night with the paparazzi, and finally the resigned look on Dylan’s face as he threw in the towel and decided that fighting for her wasn’t worth it.

Her dad took a while to process the information before finally speaking. “Sounds to me like he just had a gut response. Wanted to protect you is all. Have you tried to talk with him since? Reasoned with him? Because whatever was said, it doesn’t undo the way he feels about you. The way he looks at you every time he sees you just as you look when you see him.”

“There’s not anything more for us to say to each other, Dad. I can’t keep playing this game with him where he is in and then he’s out. It hurts too much. From now on, I’m out. From all of it. You’ve had the right idea all these years. Not putting your heart out there just to have it crushed when the inevitable happens and life takes it all away.”

“Now wait a minute. I don’t know what you mean by life taking happiness and love away. All of that is out there for you, with or without Dylan, and I’ve been realizing that it’s also out there for me. I wasn’t exactly setting a good example to you and the boys these past few years about moving on with life. I was crushed and heartbroken and didn’t think I could go on without your mother, and I wallowed for too long in my pain. But this accident was a wake-up call to how much of a rut I’ve gotten in and how much I’ve let myself become a burden to you kids.”

“Dad, you will never be a burden to us. We love you and we love being there to help you, especially when you needed us most. You don’t have to go dating all these women just because you don’t want to be alone. We’ll always be here for you.”

He chuckled. “There are a lot of reasons for me to finally get out there, honey. It’s time. Sticking around here, not opening myself to new relationships only hurts me in the end. Sure, there’s a risk to getting involved with anyone, developing feelings that may never be returned. But it’s worth it. Do you think I would exchange one minute of the time I had with your mom to save myself any of the pain I’ve had at her loss? Never. Every minute with her was worth it all. And you’ll find that out, too, once you put yourself on the line.”

“I put myself on the line,” she said, feeling defensive. “I date all the time.”

“Like that Eric? The guy whose call you avoided until he came here, just to get your attention?”

“Eric was different. He and I just…didn’t connect.”

“And what about all the other guys? Can you honestly tell me you’ve really opened yourself up to having a relationship with any of them? To loving them with every fiber of your being like I loved your mom?”

She wanted to say yes, even if just to keep up the pretense for his sake. But she knew he was right on some level. Loving someone with all your heart and soul only left you open to pain, something she couldn’t risk.

“Tessa, when you’re lucky enough to find that person who you love more than anything, who makes your heart light and happy and alive, then you’re truly blessed. Just as I was blessed, and I’m still blessed because I have all of you guys in my life.”

She blinked back tears at the emotion she heard in her dad’s voice. A pang of guilt hit her because, as mature as she liked to think she was, over the past few days, she had resented him and his ease of getting back into the dating world, as if it were some sort of betrayal to her mom.

She wiped her hands on a towel and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. “I am happy that you’re out there again. I don’t want you to be alone in this old house without anyone to take care of you. Anyone to love you. I hope you can find someone who will make you happy again.”

“Thanks, sweetie. I hope we can both find someone who will make us happy again. But think about it. If Dylan is who makes you happy, maybe you should tell him that. Let him know you’re of stronger stock than he’s credited you for. Let him know you’re all in.”

She wasn’t so sure about that, not right now, not after seeing the confirmation that, after all his protestations that things were over with Roxie, he’d decided to join her in tonight’s concert. And she’d seen the photo of the two of them at that bar. He didn’t seem to be as resistant to her charms as he’d pretended.

But she wasn’t going to think about Dylan. Not anymore. She had to move on, and she had to admit, the sadness that hung over her seemed to have lifted. Opportunities were all around her, she just had to see them.

“Now,” he continued and leaned back, taking his time to look her over. “If you’re still of a mind to get some cleaning done to settle your thoughts, maybe you can work on the area under the stairs. Lord knows how much we could stand to free up some of the space.” He touched her cheek before slipping a little stiffly from the barstool. “In the meantime, I’m going to go see if your brother needs any help. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

She smiled and watched as he strolled out the door, his limp barely noticeable. She glanced at the sink. It practically glistened. Well, she might as well keep herself busy until tonight’s farewell party for Claudia and the art studio.

It took her a minute to unload some of the furniture blocking access into the small storage area under the stairs to actually get to the things she knew, the moment she saw them, that her dad had wanted her to find.

He was wiser than she’d given him credit for.

Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of her art easel that now rested in its old spot in the family room, right by the large window that let in the most light. She’d found not one but three canvasses still untouched and blank and ready to tell a story, as well as the rest of her brushes and oil paints. The paints were going to need replacing, the oil and pigment separated, but she’d swirled the colors she needed enough that it would do for now.

She didn’t even have to think about what she wanted to paint. It was like opening that door had unleashed all the pictures she’d already framed in her mind all these years, and she couldn’t wait to get started.